{"id":258053,"date":"2026-08-16T05:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T05:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/16\/a-10-10-talent-how-arsenal-have-already-signed-the-next-vinicius-junior\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T05:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T05:10:14","slug":"a-10-10-talent-how-arsenal-have-already-signed-the-next-vinicius-junior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/16\/a-10-10-talent-how-arsenal-have-already-signed-the-next-vinicius-junior\/","title":{"rendered":"A 10\/10 talent: How Arsenal have already signed the next Vinicius Junior"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Arsenal<\/a>‘s first title defence since 2004 is set to get underway in less than a week.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Gunners, sat atop their throne, are hoping to rule with an iron first and turn last year’s success into a dominant era. As much as some may believe that Mikel Arteta<\/a> finished his story last season, he’ll be the first to insist that it was simply the first chapter.<\/p>\n

Andrea Berta will say the same, too. His first year as sporting director took the Londoners to new heights and he’s already attempted to go one step further in pursuit of Vinicius Junior<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n \n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Brazilian would have arguably been the biggest signing in the club’s history, perhaps even the Premier League<\/a>. Real Madrid quickly proved that there is still a God to a king, however, and Arsenal have been left searching for alternatives ever since.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n How Arsenal can forget about Vini Jr<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Arteta should know better than anyone that the Hale End academy can hold the exact answer that he’s looking for. It was at the start of his tenure that Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe emerged to lead Arsenal from the front, dragging their boyhood side out of an era to forget.<\/p>\n

Now that the Gunners are at the top of English football, the academy is offering up another solution. This time, it’s Max Dowman who has emerged. Will he reach Vini’s level? Quite possibly.<\/p>\n

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\n
\"max-dowman-arsenal\"\n <\/picture>REUTERS\/Matthew Childs<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The 17-year-old became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history<\/a> last season and could act as Arsenal’s Vinicius Jr alternative after the Brazilian put pen to paper on a new contract in Madrid. He looks like the finest young talent to ever emerge out of the club’s academy.<\/p>\n

Then there’s Ethan Nwaneri. After such a tough loan spell at Marseille last season, the young winger will be desperate for another chance in north London. If Arteta is looking for a winger who can cut inside and take on his man, then the 19-year-old could quickly become an option.<\/p>\n

He’s been brilliant in pre-season and looks back to his best, notably bagging against Borussia Dortmund a week ago.<\/p>\n

Another name that Londoners are becoming familiar with is summer signing Christos Tzolis. The Greek arrived from Club Brugge in a deal worth \u00a334m and while he may not be Vini Jr, he has impressed many onwatching fans in pre-season.<\/p>\n

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Arsenal’s Vini Jr solutions<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

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Max Dowman<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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At 16 years old, Dowman is destined for the very top. He’s already got a Premier League goal to his name and is likely to receive even more opportunities this season now that Arsenal have sold Leandro Trossard and missed out on Vinicius Jr.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Christos Tzolis<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Tzolis has impressed many in pre-season, especially with his set-piece delivery. The Premier League is a big step up from the Belgium Pro League, but 51 goal involvements last season suggest that the winger may yet hit the ground running.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Ethan Nwaneri<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Arsenal’s transfer failure could yet lead to the revival of Ethan Nwaneri. It was a nightmare campaign for the Hale End graduate last time out after a tough loan spell at Marseille. His ability hasn’t disappeared overnight, however, and he could finally get another chance this season.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

After 22 goals and 29 assists in Belgium last season, the new winger could quickly become the bargain of the season if he brings that form to the Emirates.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Arsenal may have already found the next Vini Jr<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

All of those options would provide solutions in their own right, but none more so than Edwin Quintero.<\/p>\n

If Arsenal can’t sign Vinicius Jr, then signing someone who is destined to take the same pathway to the top of European football is certainly a good idea.<\/p>\n

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\n
\"vinicius-junior-brazil\"\n <\/picture>REUTERS\/Phil Noble<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Quintero is a young South American wonderkid who will be swapping home comforts for a spot in Europe when he arrives at Arsenal next year. Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign the teenager and he will officially move to the English capital next summer. It is a move that mirrors Vinicius’. He was just a teenager too when he swapped Brazil for one of the biggest clubs on the continent.<\/p>\n

Quintero, who hails from Ecuador and will be signing from the same club – Independiente del Valle – as Moises Caicedo, William Pacho and Piero Hincapie emerged from, looks like the real deal. The 17-year-old is known for his flair from wide and is very much in the same mold as the Real Madrid superstar.<\/p>\n

Vinicius Jr arrived at Real Madrid as an 18-year-old. He was tipped to be the next best thing then, but didn’t necessarily hit the ground running. In fact, the Brazilian started just nine La Liga games in his first campaign. Los Blancos were simply patient and have reaped the rewards ever since.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n

Arsenal must take note. Quintero is coming off the back of an impressive rise in Ecuador and has earned plenty of praise during that time.<\/p>\n

In the words of scout Jacek Kulig<\/a>, alongside Dowman, he has been celebrated as a “10\/10 talent”, someone with the potential to become one of the best wingers in the world. That said, he willl need time to find his feet in a new environment.<\/p>\n

What is instantly noticeable about the teenage star is how brave he is in possession. This is not a shy youngster. This is a player who will take on his man at almost every opportunity. It’s the same bravery that Dowman has shown during his Arsenal rise and the same trait that could see Quintero become the Gunners’ very own Vinicius Jr.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Dowman-Premier-League-trophy-Arsenal\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Real Madrid man swapped Flamengo for the Bernabeu when he was barely an adult. Arsenal’s new man is swapping Independente for the Emirates at a similar point in his career. Whether a similar pathway for two exciting wingers results in the same success is the big question.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arsenal‘s first title defence since 2004 is set to get underway in less than a week. The Gunners, sat atop their throne, are hoping to rule with an iron first and turn last year’s success into a dominant era. As much as some may believe that Mikel Arteta finished his story last season, he’ll be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":258054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6808],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-258053","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}